Darkest Corners of My Mind
by Gotham Vixen
Summary: Batman encounters a mysterious young woman. She claims that only he can unlock the secrets of her past. He develops a strange alliance with her, but still doesn't know if he can call her a friend or a foe.
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

She was still getting used to the cacophony of blaring horns, screeching sirens, and drunken wailing that relentlessly attacked the otherwise deathly cool silence of Gotham City Night. Most of her life was spent hiding in silence and darkness, so the noise was something fresh and new to her. Still, she took comfort in the blanket of shadows that the city provided her. She had been trained to use them as a means of escape, as well as a point of attack. But she had not come to Gotham to lurk in its shadows. She was seeking light.

'_And the only one who can bring me into the light is the dark Knight._'

She smirked at the irony, but the curve of her smile drifted south when her mind wondered back to the very daunting task before her. She spent many nights wondering if she was truly ready for this. She had been trained in hand-to-hand combat since before she could remember. Her eyes drifted far into the distance as she thought about her childhood. A toy box filled with an array of swords, explosive, and other weapons. A playground with monkey bars built over sinking sand, slides leading to a pit of daggers, and robotic "playmates" shooting bullets. And a succession of "mothers", each of whom she got close enough to love them just before she was ripped from them, and thrown to another. Thankfully, they all taught her very well. She could, without a doubt, take down a man three times her size without the slightest bit of effort.

But tonight, she was not facing any ordinary man.

"Remember Aleila," her last mother told her, "arrogance, if given proper footing can defeat the greatest warrior." She felt she was heeding well to this advise by not having any expectations of defeating the Batman in combat. She doubted that her years of training, however excellent, would be a match for the batman's level of skill and experience. Lucky for her, winning a fight against the Batman wasn't her aim. All she needed was one good hit, and that would give her all the material she needed to hoist herself out of the pit of deception she had been born into.

"One Good hit" she mumbled to herself. "One good hit, then get the hell out of there."

She had been watching him make his rounds for several weeks now. He had a mastery of fear and shadows unlike anyone she had ever seen, taking down enemies without them even seeing him. And when they did see him, she could only imagine how sorely the wished they hadn't. A few nights ago, she witnessed him interrogating a goon involved in the murder of some local politician. The batman grabbed the quivering man by his collar and slammed him into a brick wall. He growled a question, to which he got an apparently acceptable answer. Even from her rooftop perch, Aleila could see the man had soiled himself.

He certainly had a very unique style, and obviously took pleasure in personalizing his weapons and machines. Batarangs, batcopter, batmobile, and the endless supply of gadgets in that signature utility belt. He without a doubt had a flare for theatrics.

After careful observation, she also discovered he had a fondness for a particular enclave of Gotham: Crime Alley. It was one of the few places he surveyed every single night, and he always seemed to linger there longer than his other stops. When she realized this, she knew it would be the perfect place to begin unraveling her own mystery.

Her target would be Marini's Jewelry Boutique. She had been disarming alarm systems and picking locks since she was old enough to reach them, but she decided she would make this look like a simple smash and grab. "If he thinks I'm an amateur, maybe for a moment he'll underestimate me…" she quietly hoped.

If the batman is on time, he'd be here just in time to hear the alarms go off. Aleila peered over the rooftop, and stared at the store, preparing herself for the night of her life. She slipped on her gloves, pinned back jet-black hair, and slowly slide a mask over her tensed face. "One good hit, then get the hell out of there" She breathed out, before rappelling down the building. She ran to near-buy garbage can, and with all her strength hurled it into the Jewelry store window. "_Here goes everything_," she thought as she stepped into the glass towards the counter.


	2. Chapter 2

As he surveyed Gotham's shadowy cityscape from atop Wayne enterprises, he willed himself to concentrate on his familiar duties. "Focus" he mumbled harshly to himself, only to succumb to his eyes drifting toward something imperceptible in the distance. He was weary. His body was accustomed to performing at its pinnacle no matter how little rest it had, but this was an exhaustion that no amount of training had prepared him for. He took a deep breath, hoping the chill in Gotham's midnight air would reel his mind back in. Instead, the air made him even more convinced his tireless efforts were for naught. The air was dirty. In the single breath he could smell vomit left behind by a few drunkards outside of a bar, a pile a trash being burned to warm one of Gotham's countless forgotten faces, and of course the dried blood from murders and rapes that he wasn't able to prevent. He could smell and taste all of the evil surrounding him, and wondered why his spirit had never buckled under the immense weight he carried until now. Maybe some of the despair that so permeated the once vivacious soul of Gotham had crept into his heart, crippling the resolve that sustained his own personal war against evil. Batman was stubborn nonetheless, and continued his work as his body ached for the rest his obstinate mind would never allow it to indulge in.

Hours passed as he made his usual nightly rounds. It had been a slow night. Soon the familiar midnight blues and blacks would melt seamlessly into dawn. Batman touched the side of his cowl, activating his audio feed to the police radio. Nothing of interest for him. Just as he was reaching for his utility belt to call the bat-copter, he heard the sound of an alarm in the distance. He quickly checked his handheld computer to determine from where the alarm was coming from. Marini's Jewelry boutique. This was the third attempt on the store in only a month's time. Mr. Marini believed that the residents of Crime Alley could regain control of their community by not allowing themselves to be run out by gangsters and thugs. Although Batman felt that his naivety was foolish at best and dangerous at worst, he could not deny feeling a modicum of both envy and admiration at the old man's idealism. Bruce Wayne had purchased thousands of dollars of jewelry from the store over the years. Most of it was given to women as gifts in hopes that the bright diamonds would blind them to his otherwise total lack of affection. Although police were likely already en route, Batman decided that he would take care of who ever thought they could rob a poor old man of his goods.

Slowly and carefully, he surveyed the scene. No activity. No motion. No sound. Perhaps they had grabbed what they need quickly. "No," Batman thought to himself. They had not had nearly enough to time to grab anything valuable. Once the store was assessed, Batman emerged from the shadows and stepped noiselessly into broken window of the store front. Lying on its side was a half empty trash can, that had come from around the corner, it's festering and putrid contents dispersed on clean crisp carpet. Nothing else in the store had been touched. All jewelry was locked, all doors shut.

"A trap."

Alert, but not yet worried, Batman quickly withdrew his a batarang, and poised himself for whatever may come next.

"Hello, Batman." A voice came from just outside the store front window.


End file.
